Electric Wrangler Teased Ahead of Easter Moab Extravaganza
After dropping in everything from diesels to burly V8s, Jeep’s latest Wrangler paves the “Road Forward” with electricity.
What hasn’t been dropped into the latest Wrangler? The first ones arrived with the classic Pentastar V6. A turbo-four soon followed. Then, the diesel Wrangler dream came true through the EcoDiesel V6. Finally, the first-ever hybrid system landed in the 4xe plug-in, followed later in 2021 by the big power of the 392 V8. Each powertrain contributes to the diversity of the Wrangler, opening up the icon to more fans.
So, where do you go from there? According to The Drive, you jump into the electric circus. Coming soon to Jeep’s annual Easter celebration at Moab is a preview of the “Road Forward”: an all-electric Wrangler.
Tucked in the frame rails of this special Jeep, the electric Wrangler ditches the fuel tank for a battery pack in the back, linked to the electric motor up front. Planting the power to the corners is an eight-speed auto and transfer case straight from the Wrangler parts bin, instead of something specific to full-electric drivetrains. Then again, it was built with the Easter Jeep Safari in mind, where all sorts of magnificent ideas come to life; thus, not every part can be a one-off.
As The Drive notes, the electric Wrangler’s configuration sticks out from the usual EV crowd. In other vehicles, there’s a big battery pack linked to one or more motors in each axle. There also usually is a single-gear transmission, as electric motors turn fast enough any in direction to generate all the power, per this Quora answer.
What the Jeep does have in common with EVs, though, is tons of torque from the word go. And when it comes to climbing those big rocks at Moab, torque is more valuable than horsepower. Thus, it makes plenty of sense for Jeep to build an electric Wrangler demonstrator, especially for its big Easter extravaganza.
Currently, not much else is known about the electric Wrangler. No output numbers, not even a clear image of the EV off-roader. If this is a hint of things to come, though, we can’t wait to see this Jeep hit showrooms.
Photos: Jeep
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